Bowling

Review Date: January 7, 2021

Release Date: February 30, 1979 (I couldn’t pin down the exact date)

Platform: Atari 2600

Genre: Sports

Anecdotes: This was another game we’d go over to the cousins’ house to play, but it never really hit the mark with us. We got a kick out of the animation whenever we got a mark, but it seemed so hard to do at the time that we rarely saw it. After about a game or two, that was it. Time to split and go hang out in the alley behind their house, or at least until we return for more.

Description: It’s bowling and it mostly stays in that lane. When you open the game, you get six options: straight ball only, single curve, or free ball movement (keep it clean; get your mind out of the gutter), with one or two player variations of each of those.

Positives: The game will hook you in with its goofy sound effects and jumping after a mark. Having been in a bowling league as a kid, this game is right up my alley.

Negatives: I’ll spare you the details because I don’t want to cross the line. I want to frame the game in a positive light. By the way, how does the bowler not split his pants jumping around like a turkey? It strikes me as odd. It’s 1979, so don’t expect a high frame rate here like in later titles.

Grade: B